DG
I TA L I A N D E S I G N D OY E N S D O M E N I C O D O LC E & S T E FA N O G A B B A N A TA L K E P I P H A N I E S , E M B R AC I N G T H E D I G I TA L AG E A N D T H E I R N E W F W 2 1 C O L L E C T I O N
Words: Chris Anderson
very company had to adjust to life during the pandemic. For Italian style magnates Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the power duo behind the eponymous fashion label, lockdown provided time to regroup, reflect and re-emerge in a flurry of colour and positivity. “The crisis has deeply affected us,” Dolce, who turned 63 in August, tells me as the UK approached its so-called ‘Freedom Day’. “We stopped for a moment to think about the really important things in life – our families, our loved ones, too many times taken for granted.” Dolce and Gabbana met through compatriot designer Giorgio Correggiari in Milan in 1980. The pair established a consulting studio in 1982, before launching their first women’s collection under the brand name ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ in 1985. For Gabbana, 58, the past 18 months have also been a time of introspection. “We’re often overwhelmed by the events and the speed with which they happen, by the rules of things like marketing and finance,” he says. “The time has come for everyone to stop and think about what is worth living and working for.” Early on in the pandemic, Dolce and Gabbana made the decision to tackle Covid-19 head-on, making generous donations to medical research
THIS PAGE STEFANO GABBANA (LEFT) & DOMENICO DOLCE OPPOSITE D&G FW21-22 WOMEN’S COLLECTION
